Tag Archives: writing advice

Short stories are a narrative following one or two characters through one or two disasters. This journey is the story. This is different then a story concept. A concept is a cool idea. A concept is the what if. A concept example is: ‘what if a wizard became a priest?’ A plot example is that expanded to 5+ sentences with depth and density. In order to get a story with strong characters, character growth, inciting plot, and engaging conflicts you must brainstorm. The way I brainstorm is filling out the below form:

Concept: The idea. The spark. The what if.

Point of View: A one line statement that describes the MC / narrator .

Goal: What’s the MC’s objective? What are they seeking?

Conflict: What’s keeping the MC from achieving their goal?

Resolution: How does the MC solve this conflict? How does the MC change throughout the story?

Character: What really makes the MC tick? This is where you explore all necessary vicinities of your MC.

Plot: Okay, now you have all the ingredients to the story! You just need to actualize it. For a short story I suggest writing a paragraph that starts with the conflict and ends with the resolution.